The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-10-15
A MOUNTAIN OF MARBLE.
The Fam,u. Quarrlss Of oarrara in the Alps

The Famous Quarrlss of Carrara in ths Alps
The city of Carrara nestlcs under the
protection of its mountains, the Apuan
Alps, corner of the Apenines. Some
of these, rising to the height of 1000 feet,
overshadow the north of the town, while
to the right and left they are softened down
to hills, richly clothed with fir, chestnut,
olive trees and vines in descending scale;
to the south is gap of about a furlong,
through which winds the River Avenza,
and beyond the six miles of intervening
country the blue Mediterranean can be
seen.
The quarries are one Of the sights Of the
world, occupying three OF four descending
ridges, which unite in the lofty Monte
Sagro. They have been worked at least
from the time Of Emperor Augustus.
From then until now all the best marble
has been obtained from them.
The mountains of marble in some places
seem to rise almost perpendicularly; high
up their sides are the quarries or Hcaves,"
as they are locally called, presenting from
the town the appearance Of patches Of snow
which refuses to be melted By the sun,
while sometimes it seems as though par
tally dissolved snow had begun to slide
down the mountain side.
To see the quarries, and the mode in
which the "cave man" works, one must be
up with him in the morning, and follow
him to his toll as / did
We were just in time to see huge cor
ner of marble, weighing about hundred
tons, forced from the mountain. Round it
men had driven chain of holes with crow
bars, shaped at the point like a chisel. By
striking the surface and dexterously turn
ing the bar at each stroke hole is soon
formed about three feet into solid rock,
thus isolating the desired mass as much as
possible. Into these holes gunpowder is
placed by boy, who invariably performs
his task with a lighted cigar in his mouth
Clay is then rammed in, train laid and a
warning shout raised. We betake our
selves to some such shelter as an overhang-
ing rock or small cave; the foreman gives
another shout, applies the match to the
train and runs for life. A few moments
Of anxious waitiug-the. whole mountain
seems to shake, thunder and groan in agony
at having to give up its treasures cloud
of dust-a rumble of falling pieces-we
creep out i'll time to see two masses of mar
bic tumbling over the last ridge on Their
way to the valley.
The explosive power in this instance
had been nicely calculated-the huge mass
had been just loosened. Sometimes the
moving force of the charge is under-esti-
mated, then the whole block topples over,
often to pound itself into hundreds of
pieces in its headlong course down the
rayine.
Being too heavy and large to be moved
entire, it is divided in the simplest way, a
row of holes bored across it "a line chiseled
between them), plugs of dry wood driven
into the holes, water poured upon them and
in time, the wood having swollen, the
block cracks across and through. Men
thea go to work upon each half with a
hammer and chisel until they are made
tolerably square, huge cables or chains are
fastened around them, and they are lowered
by short stages from ledge to ledge to the
wagons waiting below.
The Hcave" men are surely almost as
primitive and hardy in their habits as their
historic namesakes; many Of them live in
the hamlets among the hills, six or eight
miles from their work; they leave their
homes at daybreak, each equipped with
pair of thick boots which are never worn
at home, a gourd slung by his side, to be
filed at the mountain stream he passes,
hunk of coarse bread under his arm, pos
sibly an apple in his pocket On this food
he exists during the day, earning about two
shillings, and working much harder than
steak-fed English navy. In the even
ing at home he sups on mash of meal,
mingled with oil and favored with the
never-failing garlic; meat he seldom if ever
tastes. On Festa days only does he drink
anything stronger than water; then he will
spend as much and even more than he can
afford upon cheap wine. Almost every
Festa brings with it quarrel, and the
evening its inevitable result-a stabbing
affray.
OF the 10000 inhabitants living in Car
Tara and its immediate neighborhood about
6,0O0 are "cave" men; the town is entirely
devoted to the marble commerce, marble
stares you in the face everywhere, the
walls, roads and paths are made of it, the
floors of the house are paved with it, every
thing that can be is hewn out of marble,
from perfect copy of the Venus to the
common bathing tub, as a local advertise
ment has it. Countless copies of the an
tique are sent out from the 400 studios
and find their way to the various art mark
cts of Europe and America. Occasionally
a good original statue or bust is executed,
but the greater number of sculptors devote
themselves to reproducing copies either Of
the old masters, popular modern examples
or chiseling sepulchral monuments.